


Belle at the Bottom of the Ocean

by Hitsugi_Zirkus



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cruise Ships, Fluff, M/M, Ocean, fear of water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 02:05:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12422796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hitsugi_Zirkus/pseuds/Hitsugi_Zirkus
Summary: “Oh god,” Mikleo croaked. Suddenly, he was the metaphorical octopus, clinging to Sorey’s arm for dear life. “The ship is going to sink. We’re going down, I’m drowning, and I’mdying.”Sorey looked at his friend with amusement. “I’ve never seen you this dramatic before.”“Because I’ve never been so surrounded by water before! Sorey," he made sure they held each other's gazes to communicate the gravity of the situation, "I. Can’t. Swim! Therefore, water makes me just abituncomfortable.”





	Belle at the Bottom of the Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, Zestiria fandom, it's been awhile! Glad to pop in for a visit again <3 
> 
> This fic is a gift for my friend Becky! She wanted a fic where Soymilk was out on a cruise and Mikleo is terrified because he can't swim. Poor Meebo. I hope you enjoy it Becky! <33 I really missed our boys ;w;

Sorey had grown up on the crests of high, rolling hills and breathtaking cliffs. He was used to the greenery of his hometown, and the sky being so close that some days he was convinced he could just reach up and touch the clouds.

Where he stood now, the sky had faded seamlessly into the horizon of the sea. Sorey had never seen such a vast, open area of water before, and now, no matter where he looked, he was surrounded by endless, breathtaking  _ blue _ . 

If it wasn’t for the lively chatter of the ship passengers around him, the bustle of activity, and the insistent buzzing of his phone in his pocket, Sorey might’ve even thought the moment peaceful. While it was still easy to get his thoughts swept up in the scenery and the ocean breeze, he hadn’t left earth just yet. 

He fished his phone out of his pocket first. Both Rose and Alisha had sent several text messages, asking where he was since they had plans to have lunch together that day. 

_ If you’re not here in 5, we’re just going to order without you _ , Rose messaged, attaching a picture of her colorful, fruity drink to tempt him. Off on the corner of the picture was Dezel scowling at the camera beneath his overgrown fringe. Sorey scowled to the next message.

_ Did you manage to convince Mikleo to come out of his room? (❁°͈▵°͈) _ , read Alisha’s most recent text. 

Considering Sorey and Mikleo were usually attached at the hip, Sorey was actually acutely aware that he was standing on deck alone, with no one to share the feel of the sun or the smell of the ocean with him. Heck, Sorey had been regretfully alone for the better part of the  _ morning _ , too eager to explore the impossibly huge space of the cruise ship. The trip was one Alisha had invited them on, saying part of her family couldn’t make it to the Diphdas’ summer cruise, so her father let her bring a few of her friends along for the luxurious ride. It had always been a small dream of Sorey’s to sail the seas, so he accepted her offer rather enthusiastically and brought Mikleo along as well.

However, a  _ certain someone _ seemed determined to stay holed up in his room the whole trip.

He quickly sent a text to Alisha.  _ Sorry!! You guys go on ahead, me and Mikleo will try to catch up with you later. We’ll do something fun then. _

Pocketing his phone, Sorey made his way back to his room, admiring the ship’s components and structure on the way. There wasn’t a lot that he knew about ships in general, but he’d studied enough architecture to be able to respect the engineerical genius he passed, including the rows upon rows of verandas granted to each room. 

When he arrived to his room, he was unsurprised to still see a familiar lump on one of the large beds, pointedly turned away from the windows and door, as if that would make the fact that the outside world existed disappear. Sorey huffed through his nose, going over to heavily plop himself down next to the lump.

“Mikleo,” he groaned, “you’re not  _ really  _ trying to hide in here the whole time we’re on this ship, are you?”

The lump bristled. “So what if I am? I didn’t want to go on this trip in the first place!”

“That’s not very nice, Mikleo, Alisha was generous enough to bring us along.” Sorey pursed his lips, trying to shake his friend’s shoulders. When that didn’t work, he tried to tickle Mikleo’s weak spot at his sides, earning him a yelp then some well-deserved kicks of protest. Sorey persisted. “Come  _ on _ , there’s so much to see and do! It’s not as fun if you’re not there too.” 

“I’m sure you’ll survive,” Mikleo said flatly. He stayed quiet for a moment, then rustled around to face Sorey. His head finally poked out of the ridiculously fluffy comforter, his hair a mess, no doubt from tossing and turning all night and morning. He glanced up at Sorey with perturbed amethyst eyes. “You don’t gotta keep checking on me all trip. I’ll find ways to occupy myself.” 

Sorey raised a skeptical brow. “Uhuh. Like how?” 

Mikleo sat up, nodding to the flat screen television pinned to the wall. “They have the Discovery channel.”

“They have the--” Sorey nearly snorted. “Mikleo, you could experience and  _ see firsthand  _ all that stuff you’re watching. Really, it’s phenomenal out there, let me at least go show you the amazing  _ view-- _ ”

Mikleo buried himself in the comforter again. “Nope. I know what’s out there. Water, water,  _ more  _ water. Just...surrounding us… On all sides…” His voice tapered off, but Sorey caught the terrified edge to that tone. He’d known Mikleo his whole life and could read the mood in his voice all-too-well.

Things slowly clicked into place for Sorey, and Mikleo’s flighty behavior began to make some sense. Of course, he didn’t know for sure the reasons behind it, and the realization that there was something about Mikleo that he did not know about felt like an out-of-place itch on his body. Sorey scooted closer, angling his body over Mikleo’s.

“Mikleo… Are you --  _ afraid  _ of the water?”

“No! That’s stupid!”

“Come to think of it,” Sorey ignored Mikleo’s response and started sifting through his childhood memories, “you never liked it when we went to the lake or the pool during the summers. I just assumed you didn’t like getting wet.” 

“How prissy do you think I am?” Mikleo huffed, curling up more. “Besides, I always at least dipped my feet in…”

“Yeah, but you never swam with me,” Sorey lamented. He finally collapsed his weight onto Mikleo, a small  _ oof! _ coming under him at the impact. He squeezed at Mikleo’s thin shoulders, both in complaint and in apology. “I dragged you onto a  _ ship _ . No wonder you’re so freaked out and weird.”

“I-I’m not!” Whatever fear Mikleo had dissipated in the face of Sorey’s sincere dramatics. He wiggled and nudged at Sorey to get him off, ending up with Sorey thudding off the side of the bed, and bringing the blankets with him. Mikleo sulked off to the next bed, hugging his knees to his chest. 

“It’s not that… I’m scared of the water or anything,” he started to mumble. “I never joined you in the water because I… I can’t swim, Sorey.”

For a moment, Sorey just peered over the edge of the bed, waiting for Mikleo to elaborate on that. But after a few seconds of awkward silence, he realized that that was all Mikleo had to say on the matter. He frowned.

“Uh. Not to be insensitive but… That’s it?” 

“Did you expect another reason!?” Mikleo whipped around, cheeks turning a bright pink that contrasted against his pale skin. “I know it’s stupid, but you don’t have to make fun of me!  _ You  _ asked!” 

Sorey got to his feet, holding up his hands in a show of peace. “Wait, wait, I’m not making fun of you. It’s just -- surprising? You don’t look like you wouldn’t be able to swim.”

“People aren’t fish, Sorey, there’s no way I’d have physical characteristics that make it  _ look  _ like I could swim.” Mikleo huffed, hugging his knees once more and making a show of avoiding Sorey’s eyes. 

But Sorey came around. He tried offering Mikleo a sympathetic smile. “Hey, alright, I’m saying a lot of wrong things, clearly. I originally came up here because I wanted to experience this trip together with you, and I was just sad that you holed yourself up in here. And now I find out I practically dragged you here while you were thinking about a fear like that?” Sorey waited for Mikleo to retort to that, but his friend seemed to not have the strength anymore to argue it. That probably meant that the matter was a lot more serious to Mikleo than Sorey had given it credit for. 

With gentle movements, Sorey wrapped his arms and legs around Mikleo, very much looking like some ridiculous image of a koala. Or an octopus, if you wanted to be nautical about it. Like a child begging for forgiveness, he nuzzled into Mikleo’s shoulder.

“I’m sorryyy, Mikleo. Please come out with me? I promise you won’t get anywhere near the water. We’re on a ship, after all! You’re safe.”

Mikleo snorted, sagging in Sorey’s hold like he hoped to melt out of his arms for an escape. “Psh. The  _ Titanic  _ was one of the first luxury ships like this, and we all know what happened to  _ that _ .”

“Decades of engineerical advancement have happened between then and now!” Sorey pointed out, shaking his head at Mikleo’s silly argument. “You’re  _ fine _ , Mikleo. We’re not going to hit an iceberg and sink. Come on, I’ll prove it to you.” He got up, pulling Mikleo to his feet as well, nearly making Mikleo trip over the drooping hem of his pajama pants. 

“W-whoa, wait, where are we going?”

“Out on deck! I want to show you what you’re missing out on~” Sorey got as far as opening the door before Mikleo wrenched his hand free. 

When he glanced back, Mikleo as standing stock-still, lips pressed tightly together as he cradled his hands close to himself. It stirred up guilty feelings in Sorey’s chest; Mikleo looked like he was about to be tossed into the sea with no lifejacket or boat if he stepped outside the door. Sorey tried to think up ways to soothe Mikleo’s worries before his quiet voice murmured,

“Just...hold on a sec. I’m still in my pajamas, so...let me get dressed.” 

Sorey broke out in a huge smile.

In five minutes, they were out of the room, and Sorey was leading the way outside. Just by wriggling through the other families and exiting the area reserved for rooms, the taste of the saltair already seemed to hang in the air. Even with Mikleo’s protesting that he was fine and didn’t need to be babied, Sorey took care to hold tightly onto Mikleo’s hand, claiming he just didn’t want them to be separated. 

Mikleo’s gaze slowly lifted from the safe view of their shoes, and Sorey observed him starting to take in their surroundings more. Each hall and chamber they passed made his amethyst eyes grow a little wider. He gasped when they passed a directory, and he clutched onto Sorey’s sleeve.

“They have a  _ library _ !? On a  _ ship _ !?” 

Sorey laughed. “It’s amazing what you find if you just go out and explore, huh?” He brought up their linked hands, kissing the back of Mikleo’s palm. “Tell you what, you come on deck with me, and we can go to the library afterwards as your reward.” 

Mikleo made a tortured sound, clearly reluctant to proceed any further outside. He looked incredibly cute like that, fair brow wrinkled with a disapproving frown and lips slightly pursed. “Nnn…  _ Fine _ !”

Sorey grinned, glad his incentive worked. 

Soon, they were outside, passing by the crowds gathered around various activities and sunbathing off to the side. The summer sun warmed their skin pleasantly, but the air wasn’t too hot as the ocean winds kicked up and sifted through the strands of their hair. 

As soon as the ocean was in view, Mikleo held onto Sorey’s hand in earnest, nearly squeezing his fingers off. Sorey rubbed his thumb over Mikleo’s hand. 

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

“It’s… So big. That’s, um, a  _ lot  _ of water.” Mikleo’s breath hitched as they got closer and closer to the edge, his words spilling out faster. “You know we haven’t explored all of the ocean, right? We can’t even reach the bottom, that’s how deep it is! Everything below this ship is a mystery!” 

“I know, isn’t it great~?” Sorey swung their hands together. Finally, they reached the edge of the viewing deck. Several other couples were already huddled close along the railing, finding romance in the endless, blue waves. Children were held in their parents’ arms, exclaiming over the sight. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and were perfectly relaxed before the scenery.

Well, almost everyone.

“Oh  _ god _ ,” Mikleo croaked. Suddenly, he was the metaphorical octopus, clinging to Sorey’s arm for dear life. “The ship is going to sink. We’re going down, I’m drowning, and I’m  _ dying _ .”

Sorey looked at his friend with amusement. “I’ve never seen you this dramatic before.”

“Because I’ve never been so surrounded by water before! Sorey," he made sure they held each other's gazes to communicate the gravity of the situation, "I. Can’t. Swim! Therefore, water makes me just a  _ bit  _ uncomfortable.”

“So I’ve gathered.” Sorey patted at Mikleo’s hands, urging him to let up on his death grip. “Come on, don’t look down. Here. First off, look at the sky. It’s so endless and blue, not a cloud in sight. I didn’t think clear skies like this existed anywhere but home.” He nudged at Mikleo with encouragement. “Look.”

It took some bracing breaths, but eventually, Mikleo worked himself to tilt his head up, and Sorey lifted his hand to shield him from the glare of the sun. Probably from vertigo from the moving ship, he kept his hold on Sorey tight. Gradually, the anxiety was washed away from his eyes, his breaths coming out more evenly as one by one, his muscles relaxed. Sorey smiled. 

“See? You know the sky. It’s just like home.”

“I...guess…”

“Okay, now, start looking a little lower. Right in front of us. You can’t even tell when the sky ends and the ocean begins.” 

Mikleo gulped, glanced at Sorey to reassure himself that he was still there. When Sorey nodded in encouragement, Mikleo gradually lowered his hands from Sorey’s arm. Slowly, Mikleo started to face forward again in measured increments. At the same time the view opened itself up to him, Sorey heard his small intake of breath, his eyes growing wide and sparkling with an awe Sorey was familiar with and had fallen in love with at least a thousand times. He always strived to put such a look in Mikleo’s eyes, to steal his breath away and quicken the beat of his heart with exhilaration. 

It looked like this was such a time. For a moment, Mikleo tensed again, but then he dared to slide a foot forward, taking in the view more confidently. The waves glittered and danced under the sunlight, but their movements weren’t threatening to look at -- not anymore, it seemed. The blues and silver-gold light mingled before their eyes in a beautiful display, the sound of rushing water becoming a soothing song rather than a deathly roar. 

One of the kids a few feet away suddenly shrieked, “Mama, look, look! It’s fishies!”

Both Sorey and Mikleo glanced down. Under the surface of the water, shadows danced close by. Their dorsal fins poked through the water, then their whole, sleek bodies as they took turns breaching, trading off like they were children themselves playing a jumping game.

“Dolphins,” Mikleo noted, his voice hitched with excitement. Sorey grinned. He wished he could snap a picture of Mikleo’s face right now, but he knew if he tried, his phone would be tossed out to the bottom of the ocean.

At last, Mikleo’s shoulders relaxed, a small, delighted smile drawing on his lips. Sorey watched it all with a pleased smile that Mikleo could finally see the allure of the ocean that he saw.

Well, perhaps  _ one  _ sight would be his alone.

Against the landscape of the ocean, the ethereal blues and vast openness of it holding a thousand secrets, Mikleo looked like he  _ belonged  _ here. It was the shine of his hair against the sun, the brightness of his eyes that reflected itself a thousand times just like the water. It gave the impression that, with just the wave of his hand and his own will, Mikleo could  _ control  _ the water he was so afraid of, like it was his domain. Perhaps it was just Sorey pulling nonsense romantic poetry out his ass again, but Mikleo was even more beautiful in this between realm of sky and sea.

_ So beautiful _ … He suddenly became intensely curious how Mikleo would look  _ in  _ water, his hair floating around his angelic face under the clear, blue tides; his body re-emerging from the depths, droplets cascading down his slender form in dazzling rivulets as his hair plastered against the back of his neck…

Sorey swallowed. “Maybe we… Should start you in some immersion therapy.”

Mikleo drew back down to earth, blinking in confusion. “Uh. What?”

Well, he’d already opened his big mouth, might as well keep digging this hole. “Um, ah, you know! Like, we could go to the pool and get you used to the water!”

Mikleo stared at Sorey long and hard, his delicate nose wrinkling just slightly in disgust. “There’s a  _ pool _ ? On a ship surrounded by  _ water _ ?”

“I mean, between the deep, abyssal ocean and a pool with a kiddie area, which would you rather be in?” 

Mikleo smacked his arm. “ _ Ha ha _ , Sorey. I’m not stepping in any water.” For emphasis, he crossed his arms tightly over his chest, remaining rooted to the spot.

“What if we gave you a floaty?”

Mikleo groaned, turning his attention back to the ocean. His hand rested on the railing, and after a moment, his silence became thoughtful. Sorey continued to stare at him hopefully. Eventually, Mikleo sighed deeply.

“If I drown, I’m  _ killing  _ you.”

“How? You’d be dead,” Sorey deadpanned with the tilt of his head. 

Mikleo’s eyes widened. “ _ Sorey _ !”

“Just kidding!” Sorey laughed, looping his arms around Mikleo’s slender waist, making sure to hold onto him tightly for emphasis. “See? You’re not going anywhere as long as I hold you like this. Just trust me, okay? You’re never going to drown as long as I’m with you.”

From this angle, he couldn’t quite see Mikleo’s face or the expression he was making. But in the hunched shoulders and how he slowly leaned his head back against Sorey’s collar, his soft white hair tickling against Sorey’s chin, he knew Mikleo was accepting of the idea. Eventually, he turned his head, and Sorey immediately followed his lead so that their lips pressed sweetly together.

“Fine,” Mikleo murmured, “I’m holding you to that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I changed my twitter since my last soymilk, so visit me @RenOnIceCream if you'd like! (Though I'm mostly YOI now orz)


End file.
